Some Honest Questions for Muslims

By Dr. Bo Wagner

Just a few days ago America was rocked by terrorism yet again, as cowards detonated bombs at the Boston Marathon. Now authorities are telling us what many of us suspected all along: young Muslim men, brothers, are the highly likely perpetrators in this attack. This is a pattern seen very often since 9-11, but for those who have studied modern history; it has been clearly visible long before that. America seemed oblivious to Islam and Islamic terrorism right up until the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979. Even in the years after that, those in power still seemed not to grasp what we were facing.

Let me state at the outset that there are two things that I do not believe. One, I do not believe that all Muslims are violent. Two, I do not believe that the Koran is a book of peace or that Islam is a religion of peace. I do not say this as the knee jerk reaction of one who knows nothing of the subject. I have studied the history of this subject long and hard, and I have also done what most Americans talking about the subject have not done: I have read the Koran cover to cover, twice. I have also read the nine volume set of the Hadiths of Sahih Al Bukhari. It is on that basis that I see a clear difference between Christianity and Islam. The Christian rule of conduct is the New Testament of the Bible. We learn certain principles from the Old Testament, but we recognize that much of the Old Testament was written for people other than us, and that much of it has been fulfilled and is no longer binding for us to follow (i.e. we do not sacrifice lambs any more). The parts of the Old Testament that fall under the classification of Moral Law we follow, but the Civil and the Ceremonial we do not. Whatever of the Old Testament was repeated for us in the New Testament we follow as well. The Muslim rule of conduct is the entire Koran, and to a slightly lesser extent the Hadiths. Where the New Testament tells the Christian to behave one way, the Koran and the Hadiths tell the Muslim to behave another way entirely.

Christians are commanded to engage in a struggle that has nothing to do with weapons, death, and destruction: 

Ephesians 6:12: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

We find Jesus Himself saying:

John 18:36: Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. 

But the Muslim reads something very different in the Koran and the Hadiths:

Make war on them until idolatry shall cease, and God’s religion shall reign supreme. Surah 8:40

A prophet may not take captives until he has fought and triumphed in his land. Surah 8:67

When the sacred months are over slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them, besiege them and lie in ambush everywhere for them. Surah 9:5

God has purchased from the faithful their lives and worldly goods and in return has promised them the Garden. They will fight for the cause of God, slay and be slain. Surah 9:111

Believers, make war with the infidels who dwell around you. Surah 9:123

Muhammad is God’s apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to the unbelievers. Surah 48:29

Prophet, make war on unbelievers and the hypocrites, and deal sternly with them. Surah 66:9

“O you who believe! Take not the Jews and Christians for your friends and protectors: they are but friends and protectors to each other. And he among you that turns to them for friendship is of them.” (surah 5:51)

The Muslim clerics are quite clear on what these passages mean. Mesbah Yazdi, one of the leading influences of the life of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said this:

“We must wipe away the shameful stain whereby some people imagine that violence has no place in Islam. We have decided and are determined to argue and prove that violence is at the heart of Islam.”

The Hadiths of Islam (I will quote from Sahih Al Bukhari’s version), a nine-volume set of the sayings of Muhhamad, paint the exact same picture:

“Allah’s Messenger said, ‘Allah welcomes two men with a smile; one of whom kills the other and both of them enter paradise. One fights in Allah’s cause and gets killed. Later on Allah forgives the killer (who embraces Islam) and also gets martyred (in Allah’s cause.”) Hadith 2826

I could literally list hundreds of similar passages from the Koran and Hadiths; I have simply chosen a select few. This leads me to ask a few questions that I would honestly like to have some Muslim Cleric answer for us publicly:

One: Do you believe or disbelieve these passages from the Koran and the Hadiths?

Two: If you believe them, why should we regard Islam as anything other than incredibly dangerous, and if you disbelieve them, are you willing to publically denounce those that do?

Three: If you do not believe that Islam is violent by design, how do you explain a 1400 year history of bloodshed, with Muhammad himself being the one who set the pattern of conversion by the sword? Christians who have behaved violently have done so in opposition to the example of Christ!

I do not hate Muslims, I love them, Jesus loves them, and I would love to win all 1.3 billion of them to Christ. But I will not, willingly, sit by while young Muslim men whipped into a frenzy by what they read in the Koran and the Hadiths perpetrate violence on my people. If Islam is really as violent as I think, then we need to start thinking of it very differently. If it is peaceful as we are told, then Muslim Clerics across the world need to start speaking up and dealing with these very clear passages, and finding a way to get their people to quit following them.